The Silent Angel's Decree
by Midnight C
Summary: (Complete!) In a time and place where superstitious fear is abundant, a child is born without the ability to speak. But while the villagers believe this to be an ill omen, it proves to be something else entirely...
1. Five Years

Hey look, I'm writing something other than a romance! Bet you people never saw that one coming, eh? Well, I thought this would be a nice change of pace from my usual mushy stuff (just this once). I owe some inspirational credit to both "The Silence is Broken" by Onyx-dreams (if you haven't read it, go read it!) and the early portions of "Adventures in Adept Training" by Akiko (it's a Garet/Mia story later, but we'll forgive her). This idea basically solidified in my head one day when I was listening to the opening theme song to _Neon Genesis Evangelion_; "A Thesis of the Cruel Angel" (hence my title). This is what I get for listening to Japanese music! ^_^;

Disclaimer: *yawn* Golden Sun and all related characters are copyrighted by Camelot Software Planning and Nintendo.

***Five Years***

Having completed her daily errands, Dora left the Vale marketplace for home. The spring sun had long passed its peak and she had to start dinner shortly. The basket she carried was heavy with the ingredients for the anticipated meal. Her husband Kyle was always ravenous at the end of the day. She smiled down at the tiny blonde boy trotting beside her, trying his best to keep with her relatively slow pace. In his arms he carried some blue material purchased in town, which she planned to turn into new clothes for him. He was growing like a weed. She reached into her basket and pulled out a small peppermint stick.

"Here, Isaac," she said, handing it to him. "A treat for my favorite helper."

Isaac's huge blue eyes lit up and he immediately started to eat the confection, savoring it as much as his enthusiasm would allow. It was rare that his mother granted him this luxury, and he smiled at her as a thank you.

Coming down the path in the opposite direction was Ida, Dora's neighbor and the mayor's daughter-in-law. Her short red hair was partially hidden beneath a kerchief as usual, and she was carrying an empty basket. Ida currently had two children, and her son Garet was the same age as Isaac. Both mothers had thought that their boys would be playmates, but that idea had fallen through after the discovery…

"Hello, Dora," Ida greeted. "Running errands again?"

"The work never ends," Dora replied with a nod and a polite smile. "You know how it is."

"Yes of course. So many big eaters in my family—even my little Garet has a huge appetite!"

Isaac peeked from behind his mother to see whom she was talking to. Upon spotting the boy, Ida unintentionally took a step back. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Why isn't Isaac getting big too!" Her voice was clearly trying to restrain a degree of uneasiness. "Well, I must be going—so many things to do. Take care, Dora!" She disappeared down the path towards the marketplace.

Dora stared after her formerly very close friend and sighed sadly. They'd been estranged for five years now and it never got any easier to cope. She ran her free hand through Isaac's hair and turned back towards her destination.

"Come along, Isaac," she said. "Let's go home."

He followed his mother up the hill, licking his sticky fingers. The fairly modest home sat high above most of Vale, providing an excellent view of the rest of town as well as the huge mountain above. Kyle had built this house with his bare hands when he and Dora had first married. It seemed rather large for a family of three, but then, it had been built in anticipation for a much bigger household.

Since the very beginning, Kyle and Dora had wanted a family. But many long years passed in their marriage and still no child came to them. Just as they'd been ready to give up hope, five years ago they were blessed with Isaac. They'd declared him their little miracle and fell completely in love with him the moment he was born. And then that heartbreaking discovery had come to light…

It hadn't taken long to notice that something was different about Isaac. He seemed a happy and good-natured child, but he never emitted a single sound. He never cried out, never laughed, never cooed like a normal baby. The Great Healer had made the diagnosis.

_"Your son is mute," _he'd said._ "He will never be able to speak or laugh or communicate properly. The gods didn't grant him a voice."_

A horrible truth. Their beautiful son was locked in a permanent silence. He would never call them mom or dad, never be a normal boy. Why had this happened to them? All they had ever wanted was a child of their own, and now the only one they'd been granted lacked the means to even communicate.

The rest of the villagers generally felt bad for Kyle and Dora, since everyone had known how they'd longed for a family. However, they also determined that the gods must've withheld Isaac's voice for a very good reason. They maintained that a child who couldn't speak had to have been touched by some kind of evil force and therefore posed a hazard to the whole village. And that meant that the best course of action for all concerned was to dispose of this possible threat.

The final decision fell on the already devastated parents. The memory of what they'd almost done that night continued to haunt both of them.

***_Flashback_***

_"Why does it have to be like this?" Dora asked through her tears. She looked at the infant she cradled tightly in her arms. "Look at him, Kyle—he's so beautiful! He's everything we've ever wanted!"_

Kyle nodded sadly and continued the slow walk with his wife to the river. It simultaneously sickened him and broke his heart knowing what they were going to do. Neither of them believed that Isaac was evil. His eyes shone with so much innocence and purity, lacking even the smallest trace of wickedness. But everyone else had made it clear that he'd never be accepted as a citizen of Vale. What kind of life would that be?

"How can we do this?" Dora continued when they'd reached the river. "He's our baby! We'll never have another chance at a family!"

"I know," Kyle said, his voice heavily pained. "But he'll be shunned, scorned and feared for the rest of his life if we keep him. It would be cruel and selfish of us to force that onto him, Dora." He shook his head, obviously trying to hold back his own tears. "This is the kindest thing we can do for him."

She nodded, sobbing quietly as she held her son for the final time. After several moments, she reluctantly handed him to her husband and turned away, still crying. Kyle crouched beside the riverbank.

"We're so sorry, Isaac," he whispered, kissing his forehead. "May the gods have mercy on our souls for this." Slowly, he lowered his arms and his child towards the rushing water. Isaac didn't squirm in the slightest, not even when his skin touched the water. But his eyes, with their penetrating, affecting, and even all-knowing gaze, were full of genuine tears. Kyle saw this and hesitated, feeling his resolve begin to crumble. He tried to continue but couldn't shake off the power of his son's eyes. He quickly jerked back his arms and held Isaac tightly.

"Just tell me when it's over," Dora sobbed.

"I can't do it," Kyle said quietly.

She spun around, looking relieved. "Then…?"

"Maybe it is_ selfish to keep him, but…" He straightened himself and looked directly at his wife. "Dammit, he's our _son_! We know that he's not a threat to Vale, so why should we have to bend to everyone else's superstitions? It's not right!"_

"No, it's not, but no one else believes that. Isaac will always be an outcast to them."

Kyle nodded. "I know, and they're not going to be fond of us for keeping him either. But how can we just give him up? Being mute doesn't mean we can't love him or that he can't love us." He looked back at Isaac. "It won't be easy, but maybe with time everyone else will change their minds. And no matter what, he'll always have us, right?"

She nodded vigorously, smiling and wiping away her tears. "Right."

***_End Flashback_***

Dora entered her house, setting her basket on the table and then taking the cloth from her son. Amazingly, he hadn't gotten a trace of his candy on it. "Thank you, Isaac. You can go play outside now if you want. Just stay in the yard and out of the mud, OK?"

He nodded and ventured back out the door. Dora smiled a bit to herself. Many assumed that because Isaac couldn't speak he was unintelligent as well, but nothing could be further from the truth. As far as she could tell, he was quite precocious, able to listen to and carry out complicated instructions, and even count out rather large sums of coins. The only thing he didn't seem to do yet was read or write, but he _was_ only five and would certainly learn those skills when he was older.

Isaac slowly circled around his house. He'd always had to play alone and was used to it, but he still longed for someone his own age to keep him company. Some days he could look further up the hill and see Garet playing in his yard with his sister or with Jenna and Felix—two more kids from the village. But Isaac wasn't allowed to join them. The one time he'd dared to approach the house, Ida had herded her children inside and sent him away.

_"Stay away from here, you devil child!" _she'd said to him.

Lots of people called him that. He wasn't quite sure what it meant but he knew it wasn't a good name. He didn't understand why everyone hated him so much. Both his mother and father told him to be patient; other people would someday learn to love him as much as they did. But he wondered how long he had to wait.

A fat bullfrog leaped out of the grass nearby, croaking loudly. Isaac spotted it and started to follow it as it hopped. It moved pretty fast for a frog, and he pounced to catch it but missed. Determined, he kept chasing it even as it moved further away from his house. When it had neared the river, he lunged again, falling into the grass, and caught it with both hands.

"That supposed to be your new friend?" said a voice.

Isaac sat up and saw three older boys from town standing above him, each about ten or eleven years of age. He edged away from them a bit.

"How's the mute boy today anyway?" the one who'd spoken before asked. "Oh, that's right—you can't talk!" His cronies snickered.

"Better be careful," said the second boy. "My dad says he's cursed. He might steal your soul or something."

"Yeah," the third agreed. "I heard one of the elders say he'll lead the whole village to destruction someday!"

"Could you really do that?" the first one questioned. Isaac stood up and backed away a few steps. The boys surrounded him to block his progress. "You aren't afraid of us, are you? I thought a devil child had nothing to fear."

Isaac shook his head, shrinking slightly. They all looked so big as they stood over him like this, and he didn't like their mocking tones. His frog croaked, wiggling in his hands. The first boy reached down and snatched it away.

"Lucky thing we came along," he said. "This poor frog could've been in a lot of danger."

"Right," the second said. "What do you think you're doing trying to hurt this poor thing anyway?"

"Stupid kid," said the third boy. "He should know better than to mess around with innocent creatures."

The first boy tossed the frog into the river, then leaned in close to Isaac. "You don't belong here, mute boy. Why don't you just run away—go back to whatever evil place you came from?"

Isaac tried his best to harden his expression, to not be intimidated by these bullies. They started pushing him around amongst themselves, taunting him with the usual array of bad names. "Devil! Demon! Stupid mute!" And then someone else appeared in the distance. Since they didn't want to be caught, the boys ran away, but not before shoving Isaac face first into a huge mud puddle nearby.

"Isaac?" he heard a familiar voice say. He spat out the dirty water and wiped the mud from his eyes. He looked up to see his father standing above him. Kyle frowned after the three boys but there wasn't really anything he could do about them now. Sighing, he bent down and lifted his son out of the puddle. "Are you OK? Those bullies didn't hurt you, did they?"

He shook his head lightly but his blue eyes looked sad. Kyle offered a reassuring smile and took him back home. The pleasant aroma of roasting meat and vegetables was wafting from the kitchen.

"That you, Kyle?" came Dora's voice.

"Who else?" he asked. "Something sure smells good in here."

"That would be dinner," Dora said, appearing from the kitchen. She caught sight of Isaac and gasped. "Oh, Isaac look at you—you're _filthy_! I asked you to stay out of the mud!"

"It's not his fault," said Kyle. "He was shoved into a puddle by some kids. Saw it with my own eyes."

"Nasty wretches," she muttered. "Did they hurt you, honey?"

Isaac traced the shape of an X over his heart, a gesture that his parents knew all too well. He did that whenever someone called him a name or otherwise hurt his feelings. The single action spoke a thousand words, as did his eyes. His mother wiped at his face with the corner of her apron and kissed his forehead.

"Don't listen to a word they say, Isaac," she said kindly. "They just don't understand, but they will someday. Now let's get you cleaned up."

************

"Is he asleep?" Dora asked.

"Out like a light," Kyle replied, regarding the small body in his lap. He set his book aside and leaned further back in his chair, keeping an arm protectively around his son. "I wish there was a way we could keep those pesky kids away from him."

"Me too. But nothing short of confining him to the house would work. No one else in Vale cares if Isaac's bullied or not. He's nothing at all to any of them." Her voice sounded deeply saddened at this cruel fact.

Kyle nodded, sighing. "Five years of this and nothing's changed. I thought that at least a few of the villages would've come around by now. I just can't understand it."

Dora seated herself on the arm of his chair. "I can't understand it either. Are they so blind that they can't see how wonderful he is?" She smiled slightly at Isaac, who was the very picture of childish innocence as he slept in his father's lap, unaffected by the world around him. At least he could be free of the hatred sometimes.

"You know what bothers me most of all?" Kyle questioned.

"What?"

"That we can see he's hurting but he can't tell us why or how badly. He has to keep all of his pain inside. How can a child cope with that?"

His wife could only shrug. "I know what you mean. It breaks my heart to look at him day after day and see that sorrow in his eyes. Offering him the same reassurances over and over again doesn't seem like enough."

"And yet it's all we can do. It's all we've ever been able to do." He lightly squeezed Isaac's little form. "I only hope that it _is_ enough for him."

-----------------------------------------------------

Good? Crappy? Feel free to review at your leisure. I'll post the next chapter soon (I hope). And yes, I'm still planning to do an Ivan/Sheba story at some point, but I've been sitting on this idea for a while now and I just _had_ to write it before I went nuts!


	2. Rays of Hope

I admit that I feel a bit like a fish out of water writing something without a shred of romance. But given that I'm working with pint-sized Adepts, it wouldn't be appropriate to have them acting like love-struck teenagers. Still, there's something fun about making them little too. Isaac would have to be a really adorable five-year-old, wouldn't you agree? ^_^ Knowing that also makes the irrational fear the villagers have all the more perplexing…

***Rays of Hope***

The next morning, Isaac sat at the table eating the rest of his oatmeal as he watched his parents begin their days. His father was reading some important-looking papers while his mother started clearing the other breakfast dishes.

"Are those building requests?" she asked.

"Yes. The Mayor needs me to repair the sanctum roof and the inn needs some interior work. Always something to fix in Vale."

Kyle was a carpenter by trade. He constructed buildings as well as did general repairs, often with very little help. In the early spring and late fall, however, he gave up carpentry to help out in the community fields with planting and harvesting. Everyone in Vale helped maintain the fields, and everyone reaped the benefits of the shared effort. Planting would be complete within the next few days and then he'd be back at his usual work.

"That reminds me—our roof's been leaking."

"Again?" he questioned in surprise. He frowned. "I've got to find some better straw." He set his papers aside and stood up. "Well, I guess I should be going. Those fields won't get planted by themselves."

"I'll see you at lunch time then?"

"Of course." He kissed his wife then patted Isaac's head. "Be good for your mother, Isaac—like you always are."

Isaac tugged at his father's tunic as he started to leave. Kyle paused and looked down at him. "What is it, Isaac?"

Explaining things was often tricky, like playing a game of charades. Isaac had developed a few specific gestures during his short life, like the crossing motion over his heart, which his parents always recognized. But getting them to understand his requests could be difficult. Trying the best a five year-old could, he pointed out the window in the direction of the fields and then pointed back at himself, looking at his father in a pleading sort of way.

"You want to come with me?" Kyle guessed. Isaac nodded, smiling. His parents were generally pretty good at figuring him out.

"Is that a good idea?" Dora asked. "He might get in the way."

"I don't see the harm in it. Some of the other kids have tagged along before."

"Well, all right. Listen to your father, Isaac and try not to get too dirty."

Happily, Isaac walked with his father towards the outskirts of Vale. The huge fields seemed to span out for miles. Some of the citizens, both men and women, could be seen scattered amongst the plowed parts sowing seeds.

"See, Isaac? By fall, all of this will be overrun with our crops. All it takes is a little time and patience." He grinned a bit. "Of course, some of us can speed up the process." He stooped to one of the rows and his hand glowed a moment. To Isaac's amazement, a second later a green sprout appeared in the soil. "Someday I'll teach you how to do that."

Isaac tipped his head in a questioning glance. Why couldn't he learn to do it now?

"You're not old enough yet," his father answered, knowing the look. "Psynergy is tricky business and you might hurt yourself if you can't control it. Don't worry, Isaac. Your time will come sooner than you think."

"Kyle, there you are!" exclaimed a masculine voice. It was George, the Mayor's son and Ida's husband. "What kept you?"

"Ah, sorry. I've been trying to organize my projects for when the planting's done."

"I see," said George. "Well, let's get to work, shall we?"

"Right. Come on, Isaac. You can help."

George suddenly turned and noticed the little boy for the first time. "What's _he_ doing here?" he asked, pointing at Isaac as if he were some disgusting thing rather than a living person.

"Something wrong with that?" Kyle asked. "You've brought Garet to the fields several times."

"My son is _normal_," George said with a tone of righteous indignation. "How can you compare the two? That…_boy_ could curse our fields and force us all to starve over the winter!"

Kyle grimaced. "Do you even know how foolish you sound right now? And I'll thank you to not say such things in front of him. He's mute, not deaf!"

"He shouldn't be here," said George in a lower voice. "He's bad luck!"

Isaac wandered away a little so he wouldn't have to listen. Something stung him on the inside, a feeling that seemed to get worse every day. He went back to the sprout his father had created and studied it to take his mind off the hurt. He wondered if he learned to make these sprouts too if people would like him.

"Look out!" came a sharp cry in the distance. One of the more unruly plow-horses had broken free from its harness and was wildly galloping around the fields. George immediately went to aid the men that were trying to catch it and bring it under control, but it was too wild and too fast. It blindly ran at top speed through the expanse of soil, trampling everything in its way without a pause.

Kyle saw that the animal was coming closer, though not in his direction. Then he came to the horrid realization that Isaac was no longer beside him. Glancing around, he spotted him right in the wild horse's path! "_Isaac!_" he shouted in terror, certain he was about to see his son get trampled.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Isaac stood frozen in fear as the horse approached him at breakneck speed. When it was nearly on top of him, his body pulsed with golden light for a millisecond—so brief that no one even noticed it, and the horse suddenly reared back on its hind legs and came to a halt. And it just stood there before him, snorting placidly. A split-second later, his father had hoisted him up, which brought him out of his frightened stupor.

"Isaac!" Kyle exclaimed in relief, looking him over. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, though he still trembled slightly from the shock. The horse inched a bit closer and bumped his arm with its nose, as if offering an apology. A moment ago it had been a raw force of nature, and now it was completely docile. Isaac tentatively petted it, meeting its big brown eyes, and then smiled at it.

Kyle was equally amazed. "I don't know what's gotten into this animal, but that was a little too close for comfort."

"What happened here?" George asked as he and another man approached. "I thought this thing would never stop. How'd you catch it, Kyle?"

"I didn't. It just suddenly stopped right when it was about to trample Isaac. Some sort of miracle, wouldn't you say?"

George and the other man, Simon, regarded the boy and frowned. "That kid again, huh?" Simon questioned. "What's he doing out here in our fields? He'll ruin our crops!"

"That's what I said," George agreed.

"Stop that!" Kyle said angrily. "He just helped you get your horse back!"

"I'd bet my teeth he caused the whole thing," said Simon. "It doesn't matter now. No doubt it's been tainted by that devil. Have to destroy it before it turns on me." He led the animal away.

"Kyle, do us all a favor and take that boy away from here," George said. "Preferably before something _else_ goes wrong today." He went to join Simon.

Kyle frowned at the men, then sighed in resignation. "I'm sorry, Isaac, but maybe it's best if you stay with your mother for now. Let's go." He set Isaac down and started walking slowly. Isaac followed closely and then heard the sickening cry of a dying animal. They both glanced back at the fields to see that the men had killed the horse. Isaac stopped to stare at the spectacle and felt something stab at him. His eyes watered as he looked up to his father for some sort of explanation, but there simply wasn't one to give. Kyle very gently turned him away from the fields and led him the rest of the way home.

"Back already?" Dora asked in surprise.

"I'm just here to drop Isaac off," Kyle said sadly. "I'll be back later." He turned to go but his wife caught his arm.

"Kyle…?" She met his eyes and understood far too well. He left the house without another word and she looked back at her son, who had his head down and was visibly upset. She got down on her knees and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Isaac. I'm so sorry."

Isaac clung to his mother as she soothed him. Why had they killed the horse? Why did those men think he would ruin the crops? Had he done something wrong? He tried so hard to be good and to fit in, but still everyone hated him. He just didn't understand. All he knew was that it hurt and that the hurt wouldn't go away. A few silent tears escaped from his eyes and soaked into his mother's shoulder. She kissed his head and tried to reassure him.

"It'll be all right, sweetheart. You'll see. One day they'll understand."

_Would they?_

************

Isaac sat outside of his house digging at the dirt path with a stick. He tried not to think about what had happened with the horse earlier, but it was a struggle. He'd stayed at home with his mother and helped her around the house instead. Home was the only place where he was loved, the only place where no one called him bad names. He tossed his stick aside and hunched over, feeling very alone and very depressed. Then a gray tabby cat that had been wandering around the area sauntered over to him and bumped his arm, mewing plaintively as if it wished to console him. He petted it idly, feeling slightly better knowing that at least the town animals liked him. The cat wiggled its way into his lap and kept rubbing against him affectionately. He inwardly hoped that no one would see him touching it lest they decide to kill it just like the poor horse.

Something suddenly landed in the grass next to him. He looked over and saw that it was a rag doll, obviously well loved by someone since it was quite worn. "My dolly!" a small voice exclaimed timidly. Isaac raised his head to see three kids standing a short distance away. He recognized them as Garet, Jenna and her older brother Felix. He'd never actually met them face to face before, but he'd seen them playing together from afar. Jenna was on the ground. Presumably, she'd tripped on the path and her doll had gone flying.

Jenna rose and took a step towards him, but Felix held her back. "Don't, Jenna. You can't go near him, remember? Dad said so!"

"But my dolly!" Jenna whined in protest.

"Mom will make you a new one," Felix said.

"No!" she declared stubbornly. "I want _my_ dolly!"

Garet crossed his arms. "Why can't we just go get it? It's no biggie."

Felix glowered. "You dork! That's _Isaac_! He's the demon-child, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Garet trailed absent-mindedly.

Isaac hugged his knees and turned away from the group, not wishing to hear anymore. It was always the same. It always would be the same. He continued scratching the cat's ears and it purred happily. The others looked at him quizzically, taking in the contented cat cuddled against him and his rather obvious melancholia.

"What's so bad about him anyway?" Garet asked.

Felix faltered. "Well…uh, my dad always says that he's evil, that he's different from all of us."

"He looks like an ordinary kid to me," Garet observed.

"He looks lonely," Jenna added quietly.

"Shouldn't a demon be more fearsome?" Garet questioned. "You know—flaming eyes and huge fangs or something?"

"Well how should I know?" Felix scowled. "That's just what my dad said. Didn't your parents tell you to stay away from him too?"

"Yeah, but they never really said why. I remember Mom saying he was a mute though."

"What's a 'mute?'" Jenna asked. The two boys shrugged. She looked back at Isaac. "That kitty trusts him. He can't be all that bad."

Isaac flared with hope and decided to take a chance. He picked up the doll and cautiously walked towards them, the cat following him so that it might continue to receive attention. They backed away slightly at first but then held their ground. Isaac extended the doll to Jenna. She looked to Felix for approval and he just shrugged in uncertainty. She carefully reached out and took back her doll, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, Isaac," she said. "I'm Jenna, and this is Garet and my big brother Felix." He nodded, also smiling a little. They weren't running away or calling him names! It seemed too good to be true.

Garet circled him slowly, inspecting him more closely. "He _is _pretty normal looking. Hey Isaac, are you a demon?"

He shook his head vigorously.

"Then why does everyone say you are?" Garet continued. Isaac shrugged, and Garet frowned. "What's with all the gestures? Say something!"

Isaac shrank, looking down at his feet in shame. The others studied him a moment, waiting. "I don't think he can," Jenna finally said. "That must be what a mute is—someone who can't talk. Is that it, Isaac?" He nodded slowly.

"That's a bummer," said Garet.

"So _that's_ why he's different," Felix said. "But how does being mute make him a demon? That doesn't make sense."

Jenna and Garet nodded in agreement. "Do you think Mom and Dad are wrong about him?" she asked.

Felix looked unsure. "They've never been wrong before. But…he looks OK to me, and the cat likes him. I think it's safe."

Isaac smiled, since that was about the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him before. The other three kids smiled in return.

"You should play with us sometime, Isaac," said Garet.

"Yeah," Jenna agreed. "It's kinda late now, but there's always tomorrow. We'll come back then."

He nodded with enthusiasm, grinning broadly. They waved goodbye and he watched them disappear down the path, Garet turning at the hill to go to his house. Isaac had never felt so happy before—he'd actually made a few friends! Already he couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. He scooped up the cat and hugged it as a thank you, since it had helped show the others that he wasn't fearsome. The cat meowed as if congratulating him and settled contentedly into his arms.

--------------------------------------------

Heavy "Awwwww" factor, huh? ^_^ You knew there had to be at least one other person willing to give little Isaac a chance, right? Chapter 3 will come shortly. Please tell me what you think because as I've said, I feel rather deracinated (rootless) working outside of romance!


	3. Superstitions

I was almost afraid to continue this story because of the rather..._passionate_ reactions readers have had to Isaac's predicament. I'm thrilled that I'm getting emotional responses from people, but I ask that you kindly refrain from violence (especially against me) if anything in this upsets you. It's astonishing how attached we get to these characters...

***Superstitions***

"Kyle," Dora asked a few days later. "Have you noticed anything different about our son?"

"You mean how he's seemed so happy these past few days?"

"Precisely. Do you know what's gotten into him?"

"I saw him playing with George and Ida's son Garet and Jenna and Felix--Simon and Helen's kids. My guess is he's made friends."

Dora lit up. "Oh at last! And their parents are OK with this?"

Kyle shook his head. "I don't think they know. The four of them have been using that secluded spot near the woods for their playground. I think they're aware of Isaac's…_reputation_ and are trying to keep their friendship with him a secret."

"Well, it's a start," Dora sighed. "At least Isaac seems happy. He's needed some playmates for so long."

  
  


Near the edge of town, sheltered by trees and the rocky face of Mt. Aleph, Isaac reveled in the company of his new friends. He had mock sword battles using sticks with Felix and Garet, and the four of them played various other games like tag relentlessly. Sometimes they even dared to explore the small cave leading into the mountain. He'd never been so happy, and the hours always seemed to slip by too fast. But each new day brought the promise of more fun.

"This is the best spot," Jenna said as she picked more early wild flowers. She was trying to weave them into a wreath, a task made quite difficult by her unsteady five year-old hands. What she'd accomplished looked rather mangled, but she placed it around her rag doll and smiled at how pretty she thought it was.

"For a demon, you're pretty good at stick fights," Garet teased. Isaac smiled. The word somehow didn't sting when any of them said it.

"Don't pick on him, Garet," said Felix. He was sitting atop the large rock trying to study his books. He was just enough older to have begun his more formal schooling. That was also why they were undisturbed by adults during the day, since he was responsible and trustworthy enough to keep his sister and younger companions out of trouble. They respected his authority too because he was older. "Ah, stupid math lessons! I hate these!"

Isaac peeked over his shoulder and looked at the equation: nine plus six. He reached down and traced the shape of a number on the page.

"Fifteen?" Felix asked. "How would you know the answer? You're too young to do math!" Flustered, he counted on his fingers and came to the same answer. "Hey...you're _right_! How'd you know that?"

Isaac shrugged. He wasn't really sure how he knew—he just did.

"That's amazing!" Jenna exclaimed, going over to see for herself. "You're smarter than my brother!"

"No he's not," Felix scowled. "He's just lucky, that's all."

"Maybe mutes are just naturally extra smart," said Garet. "You know, since he can't talk he's supposed to be good at other things."

"Garet, stop picking on him," Felix warned again.

"Yeah," said Jenna. "How would you feel if you couldn't talk like a normal person? It must be really hard."

"Is it, Isaac?" Garet asked. "I can't imagine what it must be like to not be able to talk."

"That's because you never shut your big mouth," Jenna retorted. She looked to Isaac. "But what _is_ it like, Isaac?"

Sensing that their questions were sincere and not a form of teasing, Isaac thought a moment. There was really only one way to show them what it was like but he'd never dared do it to anyone, not even his parents. Would it scare them? Would they still want to be his friends? He knew he shouldn't, but he so desperately wanted someone to understand what it was like to be cut off from the rest of the world the way he was. Maybe they would if he showed them. So he approached Jenna and Garet and took one of each of their hands, bringing them to his chest, and held them in a penetrating gaze.

"What?" Garet asked, slightly uneasy from the blue-eyed stare. "What are you doing?"

"Isaac?" Jenna questioned nervously.

He squeezed their hands a little more tightly and his own hands glowed with a golden light. Total silence held for several moments as Garet and Jenna began to feel something burrowing into them. It was a frightening, painful sense of isolation, so encompassing that it could squash anything it touched. It felt like a knife repeatedly stabbing them from the inside. Jenna's eyes started to water and Garet tried to pull free. Seeing this, Isaac released them and backed away. Felix jumped down from the rock.

"Jenna?" he asked his sister in concern. "Are you OK?"

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, scrubbing at her eyes. She squeezed her doll tightly to help erase the uneasiness she felt.

"That was scary," said Garet, still a bit spooked. He looked over at Isaac, who was now sitting in the grass a short distance away trying to make himself as small as possible.

"What was that?" Felix asked. "It almost looked like he was hurting you."

"It _did_ hurt," said Jenna. "It hurt a lot right here." She touched her chest over her heart. "I've never felt anything like that."

"Maybe he _is_ a demon," said Felix softly.

Garet shook his head. "No, no. It hurt and it was kinda scary, but it didn't seem very evil to me. Don't you think so, Jenna?"

"Yeah," she said. "It didn't feel wrong. It felt..._sad_."

"Sad?" Felix questioned. The three of them went over to Isaac. "Why are you sad, Isaac? Did we do something wrong?"

He shook his head vigorously. How could he explain? He pointed back towards the village somewhat reluctantly. They'd never believe him. He wanted to disappear. He never should have done that to Garet and Jenna—never ever.

"Vale?" Garet asked. "You mean Vale's what made that hurt feeling in you?"

Isaac nodded slowly, keeping his head down. The others looked amongst themselves in confusion. This didn't make sense to them since Vale was a good place filled with nice people in their eyes. How could such a place make their friend so sad?

"Don't be sad, Isaac," Jenna finally said. She offered him her battered flower wreath as a consolation. "Come on—let's play another game. That'll make you happy again."

These simple words startled Isaac a great deal. He'd shown something truly awful and painful to Garet and Jenna and yet they still wanted to play with him! Suddenly he couldn't help but feel happier inside, even though the rest of Vale continued to scorn him and treat him like an abomination. He had real friends that cared about him! Somehow that made everything a whole lot better.

************

"I'm going to catch that squirrel if it's the last thing I do!" Garet declared, staring up at the pudgy gray rodent sitting on the branch above.

"Give it up, Garet," said Felix. "It's not going to come down with you standing there yelling at it."

Planting time had passed and the spring days grew warmer and longer, though nighttime could still be chilly. The leaves on the trees had returned and the apple blossoms were in full bloom, making the air smell extra sweet. The forest animals were making more appearances too, and Garet liked to torment them in his own way. Trouble was that he could never get close enough to any of them. He picked up a rock and chucked it up at the squirrel, missing it by a mile.

"Come down here and fight like a man!" he called up to it.

Isaac smiled and joined his friend in staring up at the creature. It had a huge fluffy tail and round black eyes. It expertly scurried up and down the tree, chattering and twitching its tail. Upon meeting Isaac's stare, it hustled down the trunk of the tree and leaped onto his shoulder.

"Hey!" Garet protested. "How come they always come for you?"

Isaac shrugged, petting the squirrel. It climbed on top of his head to get a better look around. He'd always been good with animals, even wild ones like this squirrel. Somehow they all sensed something within him that humans, particularly grown humans, had a hard time perceiving.

"Can I see it, Isaac?" Jenna asked. He nodded and plucked the animal off of his head and handed it to her. "It's so cute!" She giggled as it climbed up to her shoulder and brushed its tail against her cheek.

"Oh sure, you give it to Jenna," Garet complained.

"That's because he knows you won't be nice to it, right Isaac?"

Isaac shrugged and smiled mischievously. "Don't smirk like that," said Garet in an irritated tone. "I wish you could talk just so you could laugh to my face like everyone else does. It's too hard to guess what you're thinking."

"Maybe he doesn't want you to guess at all," Felix suggested.

Something rustled in the shrubs just then, scaring the squirrel away, and one of the older boys from town entered the clearing. Isaac recognized him as one of the bullies that had pushed him into the mud over two weeks ago. "Well what do we have here?" he asked snidely. "What are you shrimps doing out here? And with the _mute boy_!"

"This is our place!" Felix declared, standing in front of the others. "Get lost!"

"What are you doing with the demon?" the bully demanded, pointing at them accusingly. "I'm going to tell everyone you're working with him to destroy the village! Admit it!"

"No you can't!" Jenna cried. "Our parents will find out and then we won't be allowed to play here anymore!"

"You're in with him!" the boy insisted. "I'm telling and you can't stop me!" He started running away, calling out an alert. Felix and Garet ran after him to try and stop him, leaving Jenna and Isaac alone in the clearing. Isaac was petrified, visibly trembling. He knew what would happen as soon as the villagers found out. They'd take his companions away from him and he'd never be allowed to see them again. Jenna sensed his apprehension and took his hand to offer some reassurance.

"We're not going to let them split us up," she said firmly. "We're your friends, Isaac, and not even our moms and dads can change that."

He appreciated her words, but he knew none of the grown-ups would allow them to play together. He'd be all alone again. Jenna started to pull him along to go hide in the cave when Garet and Felix returned, looking totally defeated.

"We couldn't stop him," Felix said. "I saw Mom and Dad heading this way."

"My parents too," Garet added. "And Grandpa and the Great Healer. They don't look happy."

Isaac started to leave in the hope of avoiding what he knew wouldn't be a pleasant scene, but the group of adults had arrived. Repulsed at seeing him anywhere near his children, Jenna's father Simon kicked dirt at him and started loudly cursing at him.

"Get away from them, you rotten little beast!" he shouted, kicking a small stone this time. It hit Isaac just above his right eye and he fell over from the unexpected blow, a little blood trickling down his forehead. He scrambled further away to evade any further projectiles and looked up at the adults innocently. They looked back at him in complete disgust, their eyes filled with irrational fear and a very cold hatred.

"Daddy, stop!" Jenna protested. She tried to go to Isaac but her mother Helen held her back.

"That creature didn't hurt you, did he?" she demanded in a worried, nearly frantic voice. "Jenna, Felix what were you _doing_ out here with him?!"

"Garet, how many times have we told you to stay away from him?" Ida implored to her son, her tone much the same.

"Leave him alone!" Garet said. "He's our friend!"

"He is _not_ your friend, Garet!" George told him firmly. "He's a devil! He could've hurt you—or worse!"

"That's not true!" Jenna, Felix and Garet cried together.

"He's done something to them!" said Simon. "Just like he tainted my horse—now he's after my _children_! What do you intend to do about this, Mayor? This can't continue!"

"Please, my good citizens, calm down," the Mayor said steadily. "I will see to this matter. Your children will be safe from him, I promise."

"I want _action_, Mayor!" Simon demanded. "Keep that, that…_thing_ away from my kids! If I ever catch him near Felix or Jenna again, I swear that I'll—"

"Simon, please," the Mayor interrupted. "That's not the way to go about resolving this situation."

"Why did you allow Kyle and Dora keep him in the first place?" Helen asked. "I knew something like this would happen! I just _knew_ it!"

The Great Healer lifted a hand. "That's enough!" his booming voice echoed. It silenced the crowd instantly. "I will not have mass hysteria in this village."

"Thank you, Great Healer," said the Mayor. He cleared his throat and spoke like a lawmaker in total control of the situation. "Take your children home and we will see to this matter right away."

"Grandpa, no!" Garet said, tugging at his robe. "Please don't hurt Isaac! He's not a demon, he's—"

"That's enough, Garet," Ida interrupted. "Let your grandfather do his job. Come along now."

The adults left, Jenna, Garet and Felix being dragged away like possessions. The three of them stole one last glance back at their friend before disappearing from sight. Isaac stared after them and felt a sharp pain piercing his chest. He'd never be allowed to see them again, and now the rest of the villagers hated him more than ever. The hatred hurt so much. He just wanted it stop, for all of it to go away. It _had_ to go away. On the verge of tears, he stood up and headed towards the one place he knew was still safe to go to; the only people he knew wouldn't ever hurt him. Home, to his mother and father.

---------------------------------------------------

^^; I have the sinking feeling that those emotional responses I mentioned are going to go into overdrive right about now...


	4. Forsaken

***Forsaken***

Kyle was outside chopping firewood when he saw the Mayor and the Great Healer coming up the hill towards his house. He could tell by their expressions that this was not a courtesy call and knew that it would be concerning his son. That was the only reason why other villagers ever came by anymore. He set down his hatchet and wiped the sweat from his forehead so that he might appear willing to discuss whatever it was. Inwardly, however, the whole debate felt incredibly stale and dredging it up made him weary beyond comprehension.

"May we have a word with you and your wife, Kyle?" the Mayor asked.

"What's this about, sir?" Kyle inquired. He knocked on the door to alert Dora of their visitors.

"We found that boy with some of the other village children, including my grandson."

"Oh, is that all?" said Kyle with a casual air. "You make it sound like there's something wrong with that. Surely you aren't suggesting that it's _wrong_ for a little boy to play with his peers?"

"Of course not," said the Great Healer. "But Isaac isn't exactly an ordinary boy, is he?"

"You're right," Dora said, coming outside. "He's _extra_ordinary. He's only five years old and he's more kind and compassionate than anyone else in this village, even though you're all constantly scorning his very existence."

The Mayor's lip twitched. "We're asking if you might find some way to keep him away from the other children."

"And how would you have us do that?" Kyle asked.

"It makes no difference to me how you go about it," the Mayor replied. "As long as he stays far away from everybody, especially the children."

Dora frowned. "Why don't you just come out and say it, Mayor? If it were up to you, you'd have us lock Isaac away somewhere and never let him see the light of day again, wouldn't you?"

"I only want what's best for everyone."

"Well what about what's best for Isaac?" she demanded. "He's a resident of Vale too, and he deserves to be treated with the same respect as everyone else. Why is that so impossible?"

"Because he's _not_ the same as everyone else," said the Mayor. "You cannot deny the fact that he's different."

"Mayor, I don't believe that his being mute makes it necessary to isolate him from the world," Kyle said. "Your grandson was willing to give him a chance. Why aren't you?"

"You would have this entire village in a state of panic just so that one boy could have his way?" the Mayor questioned. "Be reasonable!"

"There wouldn't be any panic in the first place if those in power would stop reinforcing the paranoia!" Dora exclaimed.

"And you think it's not warranted?" The Mayor was having a difficult time controlling his temper. "We all know that only evil things are punished, and why else would the gods withhold his voice other than to punish him? He has to be touched in _some_ way."

"He's _not_ evil!" Kyle insisted. "He's just an innocent child—how can you accuse him of something so outrageous? It makes no sense!"

"What doesn't make sense to me is why I didn't insist that you dispose of him the moment he was born!" said the Mayor bitterly. "I took pity on you, Kyle, and left that decision to you. I was a fool to assume that you'd do the right thing."

"I disagreed on what the right thing was."

"And now the rest of us must live with the consequences of your differing opinion. But I _will_ have order in this town one way or the other." He turned to go. "Keep that boy away from everyone or so help me, I will do it _for_ you!" And he went up the hill towards his house. 

Dora fought back tears. "Why does it have to be like this?" she asked quietly, leaning on her husband.

"Kyle, Dora, I am so sorry about this," said the Great Healer. He looked genuinely sympathetic. "I know this must hurt you greatly since Isaac means so much to you."

"He's not a demon," Kyle insisted again. "Surely you realize that, don't you?"

The Great Healer shook his head. "The gods sometimes do things that are beyond our mortal comprehension. I do not know precisely why Isaac wasn't given a voice. He may be a demon or he may be something else entirely. All I know is that as long as the Mayor and the villagers think him a demon, he will never be accepted here." He sighed. "I am sorry, but I think you should've taken my advice five years ago and spared your son from all of this pain." And he walked back towards the town sanctum.

Kyle seated himself on the chopping block, the weariness visibly weighing upon his shoulders. "I will never understand them."

"If they would just stop letting their superstitions cloud their judgment…" Dora added.

There was a pause as they both tried to absorb and understand everything the Mayor and the Great Healer had said. It was so unfair. Their son had never done anything to warrant this kind of treatment and it appeared that nothing would ever change in Vale. He'd lived here peacefully for five years and yet they still refused to admit that they were mistaken. No doubt the scene where they'd found him with the other kids hadn't been a pleasant one.

"Maybe the Great Healer's right," Kyle began quietly.

"How can you say that?!" his wife cried in surprise.

"Don't misunderstand me, Dora. I love our son more than I can say—truly I do. That's what makes this so unbearable. I can't stand watching them treat him this way and not being able to do anything about it. He deserves so much better than this!"

"It's not your fault. We can't change their minds unless they're _willing_ to change, which they obviously aren't. Their stubborn refusal to let go of those fears isn't something we can control."

Kyle nodded. "And Isaac is the one who has to suffer. I often think back to that night by the river. If I hadn't been so cowardly and selfish, I would've spared him from all of this cruelty. I am such a fool."

"No, Kyle. You can't fault yourself for loving him. I didn't want you to do it either, remember?"

"But what kind of parents are we for forcing this life onto him?"

Dora couldn't offer any words. In many ways it seemed that this life was far crueler than the other possibility they'd had. Would they have been more loving parents if they'd given Isaac up? It was a question that no one could answer with certainty.

"The more I think about it and the worse things get here, the more I believe that we were wrong." Kyle buried his head in his hands, feeling completely torn and heartsick. "I should've drowned him."

They heard a faint rustling noise just then and they saw none other than Isaac half hidden behind the corner of the house. He stared at his parents, his blue eyes filled with tears and a little blood still seeping from the cut on his forehead. His expression was a combination of confusion and sorrow, as if his entire world had just fallen apart. As soon as Kyle saw him, he knew that Isaac had overheard what he'd said. The sting of an ultimate betrayal was reflected in his eyes.

"Oh god!" Dora whispered when she spotted him. "Isaac…!" She took a few steps towards him but he backed away, scrubbing at his eyes with one hand and fervently tracing Xs over his heart with the other. He'd already lost the only friends he'd ever had, and now…

Kyle held his breath, unable to believe that this wasn't some horrible nightmare. Why had he said that? What had possessed him to say such a terrible thing out loud for the whole world to hear? Isaac's gaze felt like a knife being driven through his heart.

"Isaac," Dora began very gently, trying to keep her composure. "Please come here, honey. It's all right. Your father didn't mean that—not at all." The blue eyes, looking so hurt and so completely crushed, weren't reassured. He backed away a few more steps and then broke into a dead run, disappearing down the hill.

"Isaac!" his mother called. She started to go after him, but Kyle held her back.

"No, Dora. This is my fault—let me handle it." And he ran off after Isaac. Dora watched him go then leaned against the side of the house and cried.

Isaac wasn't exactly sure where his feet were taking him, nor did he really care. He just wanted to get far away from Vale. Nobody had ever wanted him there and they never would want him there. Even his _parents_ didn't want him! It was too much for a small boy to absorb, and he couldn't understand a bit of it. What had he done wrong? The tears in his eyes blurred his vision, but wiping them away was futile as they regenerated endlessly. The ripping pain in his heart made it impossible to stop that great flood.

He ended up running through the spot where he'd played with Garet and the others and kept going into the woods that surrounded that side of the village. In time, he'd grown too exhausted to go a step further and he collapsed beneath a tree. He curled into a ball and let all the hurt pour out in silent, uncontrollable sobs. The late afternoon sun glowed crimson and began its descent over the western horizon. A chill began to bite the air as the warmth of the rays gradually died away.

After several long moments, Isaac felt something soft bumping against his head. It was the gray tabby cat from town. It had followed him all of this way. Was this the only creature in the world willing to comfort him? Its bright yellow eyes appeared upset at the sight of him crying there all by himself, and it worked itself into his arms and settled there, purring rhythmically. Isaac hugged it as tightly as he dared and cried into the thick, soft fur. One question, which had sat dormant in his mind for much of his short life, suddenly burned through him like hot coals. It begged an answer now more than it ever had before.

_Why can't I talk?_

He repeated the words over and over in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to be accepted and welcomed in his village, to be loved the same way normal kids like Garet, Jenna and Felix were loved. Why couldn't he just be like everyone else? What had he done to deserve this?

************

_You've done nothing wrong, little one_. _You were chosen for something great. One day soon you will understand. And one day soon the day will come when the people will understand as well. Then you will be freed from this pain. Have courage, little one. You'll see._

*************

The stars were coming out and Isaac opened his tired eyes. Had he dreamed that voice? There was no one around, but it had seemed so real. And he felt a little better now somehow. The cat was still cuddled against him, its furry body keeping him warm. He sat up and looked around, not recognizing where he was. The air was quite chilly and his stomach was growling. He wanted to go home, though he was unsure if his parents wanted him back or not.

Where should he go then? He rose and started walking slowly through the woods, his feline friend following him closely. It wasn't long before he saw a light in the distance, but closer inspection revealed that it wasn't the village. It was a campfire surrounded by a group of shabbily-dressed men, about ten or fifteen in total. One of them, apparently the leader, was walking around the group as they devoured their food.

"I tell you boys, this job's going to make us rich beyond our wildest dreams! Rumors are that this Vale place is hiding some incredible treasure!"

"So when are we going in, boss?" one of the other men asked.

"Tomorrow night at high moon," was the reply. "Everyone will be asleep and we can sack the place and rob them blind!"

Isaac's eyes went wide. These men were thieves and they were going to rob Vale! For a moment, a nasty thought crossed his mind—that this would serve all of the villagers right after the way they'd treated him. But the thought was fleeting. Vale was his home, as well as his parents' home and his friends' home. He had to get back and warn them somehow.

He started to slowly back away when he accidentally caused a branch to snap. Instantly, the leader of the thieves moved forward and saw him there in the brush. "Well, well, well what do we have here?" he asked. Isaac stared up at him with huge, frightened eyes. He wanted to run but was frozen on the spot. The leader bandit grabbed him firmly by his tunic. "How much did you hear, kid? Speak up?"

This was naturally a request that couldn't be met. The bandit shook him roughly and demanded an answer. When he still didn't get one, he pulled out a knife and stuck it to Isaac's throat. "Won't talk, huh? Well then I'll just have to make _sure_ that you don't rat me out!" The knife pressed further, and then a streak of fur leapt through the air and attacked the man's face with a battle cry. His hands instinctively went to the new obstacle before him, and Isaac ran away as fast as he could, mentally thanking the cat for saving him. "Get that kid!" the leader shouted as he threw the cat aside.

Terrified as he was, Isaac willed himself to not look back and just kept running through the woods, hoping to see some glimpse of Vale through the thick trees. But all he saw was darkness. The heavy footfalls of the men were getting closer. He turned abruptly and plowed through some bushes, not knowing what lay beyond.

The ground beneath his feet gave way and he fell down and down, coming to land in a shallow pool of water. He felt something crack in his left arm and the splintering pain brought tears to his eyes. He had to force himself to rise and take in his surroundings. High above him was a circular view of the night sky, partially masked by rotting boards, a few of which had fallen with him. The water didn't even reach his knees. He was in an old well, long since abandoned and forgotten. He stood there in disbelief, trying to let the situation sink in. The footsteps of the men came closer and then slowly died away. There was only silence.

Isaac sat down in the water, cradling his injured arm, and felt panic rising up within him. The tears came back with a vengeance as he realized he was completely trapped. He couldn't climb out, no one knew where he was, and he couldn't even cry for help. It was cold and dark and he was all alone. Where were his mother and father? He wanted to go home now more than ever.

He heard a faint meow from above and saw two glowing eyes staring back down at him. But even his feline companion couldn't comfort him now. He remained huddled there in the darkness, crying silently and wishing with all his might that somebody, _anybody_, would find him.

---------------------------------------------------

Oh, I am so dead for leaving off here aren't I? Be rational, people—if you kill me, I can't write Chapter 5!

::Mob of angry reviewers appears brandishing very lethal-looking weapons::

Eeep! Uh…I'm writing, I'm writing! _Don't hurt me_!


	5. Saviors

***Saviors***

It seemed like Kyle had combed all of Vale five times over, and he still hadn't found a trace of his son anywhere. The search was made even more difficult by the darkness that had now settled over the town, and it was clearly going to be an unnaturally cold night for this time of year. This only made matters worse. No one, least of all a little boy, should be out in this weather. Inwardly, he was cursing his stupidity and failure as both a parent and a human being, the memory of Isaac's hurt gaze cutting through him every second. To say he felt terrible would be putting it mildly.

He entered his house. Dora was seated at the table, crying audibly, and looked up. "Any sign of him?" she asked desperately.

"None," Kyle answered. "It's getting cold out there." He grabbed his cloak off the wall along with a length of rope and his machete. "I'm not beaten yet, though."

"Let me come with you!"

"No. Wait here, Dora, in case he finds his way back. He shouldn't come home to an empty house."

She reluctantly agreed. "All right." She embraced her husband. "Please, Kyle--you have to find him. You just _have_ to!"

"I will." He headed back out into the night, wondering where else he could look. There was too much ground to cover by himself, but would anyone be willing to aid him? Well, what person in this village could sleep knowing a small child was lost somewhere, no matter who that child was? Anyone with a hint of a conscience would feel badly about that for sure. So he went to the Mayor's house and knocked on the door.

"Kyle?" George questioned in surprise. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I'm sorry to bother you. I know it's rather late, but I need your help."

George motioned him inside. "What is it then?"

"Isaac ran off earlier and I can't find him anywhere," Kyle replied. "He's been gone for a few hours now, and it's getting late. Please say you'll help me look for him."

There was a brief, awkward pause. "You want me to help you bring the village demon back when he finally ran away? You can't be serious, Kyle!"

"Of course I am! Why would I joke about something like this?"

"Be reasonable," said the Mayor from where he sat at the table. "Don't waste your time trying to find that boy. This is the perfect opportunity for Vale to be free of his taint."

"And we can all go back to living normal lives," George put in. "I know I'll rest easier knowing that demon's far away."

"He's _not_ a demon!" Kyle exclaimed angrily, barely containing his temper. "He's a _child_, and he's out there all alone, possibly hurt and certainly frightened! What is _wrong_ with you that you aren't willing to help find him?"

"Look, if it were any other child I'd be glad to help," said George. "But I'm certainly not going to put this village at risk by bringing that devil back here."

"You would be wise to follow our example, Kyle," the Mayor added.

"I can't believe you," Kyle said, glaring at them with a look of anger and complete disgust. "You would abandon a small boy, a citizen of this village, all because of some irrational, superstitious fear?"

"Superstition nothing," George huffed. "He's a devil, and we'll all be better off without him."

Kyle turned to go, since it was apparent they weren't going to assist him. "Why don't you both take a good, long look in the mirror sometime and see for yourselves who the _real_ demons are?" he suggested. And he left, slamming the door behind him.

"It's a pity he won't allow himself to see the truth about that boy," the Mayor sighed.

"Maybe _he's_ touched too," George thought aloud.

Garet, who'd been upstairs in his room, had heard the raised voices and wandered down to investigate. He'd heard the whole conversation, and he stared at his father and grandfather in disbelief from his spot on the bottom step.

"Why won't you go look for Isaac?" he asked.

"Garet?" George questioned. "What are you doing down here?"

"Why won't you go look for Isaac?" Garet repeated more loudly.

"It's what's best for all of Vale," the Mayor replied. "Isaac doesn't belong here with us. He isn't normal."

"But he's my friend," said Garet. "I don't understand why you won't help him."

"He is _not_ your friend, Garet," his father proclaimed.

"If I were lost would you try to find me?" Garet demanded.

"Well of course we would," the Mayor said. "Don't be silly."

"Then why won't you find Isaac? How is he any different from me?"

"He's not important, son," said George. "He's a demon and he doesn't belong in Vale."

It was at that moment that Garet recalled the horrible pain Isaac had shown to him and came to the realization that _they_, his own family, were the source of that pain. Now he understood what Isaac had meant when he'd indicated that Vale was responsible for hurting him. No one in town even cared enough about him to bring him home! Garet pointed at his father in an accusing way, his expression much the same as Kyle's had been.

"It was _you_!" he exclaimed. "It was all of you! _You're_ the ones who hurt Isaac! How could you, Dad? How could you be so mean to him?"

"Garet, this is not of your concern," George said, not liking his son's tone. "One day you will understand this matter."

"And then I'll be just like you?"

"Yes. You'll see that boy the same way the rest of us do."

Garet fumed. "Then I don't _ever_ want to be like you!" He ran back up the stairs to his room, angry with everyone in his family beyond belief. How could they be so cruel to his friend? It made no sense. Well _he_ certainly wasn't going to be like them! He wanted to help Isaac somehow, but he knew he'd never be allowed to leave the house this late. So instead, he opened his bedroom window and carefully climbed down the trellis.

"Mr. Kyle! Please wait!"

Kyle turned at the sound of the small voice, and was more than a little surprised to see its source. "Garet? What are you doing out here?"

"Please, sir. Let me help you look for Isaac. I want to help."

Kyle couldn't help but smile a little. So there _were_ others in this village who genuinely cared about Isaac after all. "I'm glad that you want to help him, Garet, but your parents wouldn't want you out this late."

"They won't find out," Garet said proudly. "They think I'm in bed. Please, I want to help Isaac. He's my best friend."

"Well…" This went against Kyle's better judgment, but he could use whatever assistance he could get. And no one else seemed up to the task. "All right."

"Thanks!" Garet exclaimed happily. "Now wait here and I'll go get Jenna and Felix!" He ran off down the hill before Kyle could protest.

Jenna was lying awake in bed when she heard the familiar sound of rocks being thrown against her house by her window. This was Garet's usual signal to her. She got up and stuck her head out the window. "Garet?" she called down softly. "What's going on?"

"Isaac's missing," he called back up. "Come on—his dad needs help looking for him!"

She nodded, instantly concerned. "I'll get Felix and we'll be right down."

"Just don't tell your mom or dad!"

"No way!"

A few minutes later, Jenna and Felix climbed down from the window. The trio went back up the hill to join Kyle, who was still a little dumbfounded by these remarkable children.

"See?" said Garet. "I'll bet we can find Isaac easily with all of us looking for him!"

Kyle smiled down at his pint-sized search party. "This will mean a lot to him. Now let's start looking. I'm sure he's not very far."

They poured through every nook and cranny in Vale. They searched the village proper, the fields, the cave in Mt. Aleph, and even part of the mountain itself. The night wore on and still there was no sign of Isaac anywhere. As the stars began to fade from the sky, it seemed like all hope was lost. They stopped to rest for a bit in the spot where the kids had played together, all of them feeling tired and defeated.

"Where could he be?" Jenna asked. "We've looked everywhere!"

"You kids should go home," Kyle said. "It's so late that it's early. The sun will be up before much longer."

"No, we want to keep looking," said Felix. "We can't leave Isaac out there all alone."

Garet nodded in agreement. "But where else can we look?"

The four of them heard something distinctive just then. It was a plaintive, almost mournful meow. And standing nearby was a gray tabby cat with glowing yellow eyes. It stared at the group and kept emitting that same sad sound.

"Hey, isn't that Isaac's kitty?" Jenna questioned.

"We don't own a cat," Kyle replied. "It must be a stray from town."

"But that's the cat that likes him," said Felix. "It was always hanging around him and meowing at him."

"It's also the one that was with him the day we met him," Garet added.

Kyle looked at the feline and it suddenly turned back towards the woods. It twitched its tail and meowed again, as if beckoning them to follow. Jenna leapt to her feet. "Maybe it knows where Isaac is!" she exclaimed.

"I'm willing to try just about anything at this point," Kyle sighed, rising. "Let's follow it and see where it goes."

The cat expertly guided them through the trees and shrubs, pausing only to make sure they were following closely. It led them deeper and deeper into the woods, so far that all signs of the village were left behind. The canopy above was so thickly packed that the incoming light only barely shone through. They'd walked quite a distance before the cat dashed through some bushes. Garet was the first to go after it, and he felt the ground start to give. He jumped back just as a rotted board fell down a dark hole.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "That was close!"

The others entered more cautiously. "Where'd that hole come from?" Felix asked. "And what's it doing here?"

Kyle knelt beside the gaping hole and glanced at the cat, which had seated itself in the grass and was mewing. He had a sudden sinking feeling. "I believe it's an old well." He tore the rest of the boards away and stuck his torch into the darkness. At first he could only make out the glint of the water below, but then he saw something huddled off to one side. "_Isaac_!" he called down, half in shock and half in horror.

Isaac was completely numb from the cold dampness and wasn't quite sure if he'd heard voices or not. When he saw the glimmering light of the torch piercing the darkness, however, he looked upwards. He could faintly make out the four familiar figures looking back down at him, and felt a swell of relief. They'd come to his rescue!

"It _is_ Isaac!" Garet cried. "How'd he get down there?"

"He fell, stupid," said Jenna. "Do you think he'd climb down a well for fun?"

"Hang on, Isaac," Kyle called, forcing himself to stay calm. "I'll get you out of there. Are you hurt at all?"

Isaac nodded slowly and motioned to his left arm. His father noted this and started fumbling with the length of rope he'd brought from home. Felix, Jenna, and Garet couldn't stop staring down the well. None of them could believe what they were seeing.

"Can you really get him out of there?" Felix asked.

"If this rope holds," Kyle muttered. He tied a loop in one end and lowered in down the well. "Isaac, slip that loop around your waist and hang on. I'm going to pull you up."

Isaac obliged and gripped the rope as tightly as he could with his good right hand. His hand didn't want to do it though—the cold had drained nearly every drop of energy he'd had. He felt the rope tighten and then he was gradually moving upwards. The ring of sky grew closer and closer. The ride was a little jerky, but he instinctively used his feet to keep himself from bumping against the side of the well too much. It was lucky he wasn't much bigger or else the rope may not have held his weight.

The next thing he knew, he was outside and wrapped in his father's cloak, shivering but safe. He couldn't even stand, as he was so weak from the cold, and his left arm throbbed painfully. With barely a word, Kyle lifted him up and started heading back for Vale, unsure if he was holding his son or a trembling ice cube.

"Will he be OK?" Jenna questioned.

"Let's go home," Kyle replied, deliberately dodging the question. "Thank you for all of your help, kids. I'm very grateful."

Isaac was too, more so than any of them could imagine. He mentally thanked all of them for coming to his rescue, but then even that thought escaped him. Everything seemed coated in a haze, distant and fuzzy. The only things that cut through the haze were the cold and the pain in his arm. The rest was so blurry…

Kyle went as fast as he could without leaving the other kids behind. When they got back into the village, he parted ways with his exhausted search party, thanking them again, and made a dead run for home. Dora had left candles burning inside, illuminating the windows with a warm glow. She'd been up all night too of course, waiting and worrying. The door flew open and she was there the instant she saw the bundle in her husband's arms.

"_Isaac_!" she exclaimed frantically. "Oh thank goodness!"

"He's hypothermic," Kyle said hurriedly. He headed for their bedroom, his wife following. "And his arm's broken. Probably landed on it when he fell."

"Fell?" Dora asked. "Where on earth did you find him?"

"At the bottom of an old well in the woods. He must've been down there all night." He set Isaac on their big bed.

She gasped. "By Cybele's ghost…" She sat on the bed and concentrated on getting Isaac out of his wet clothes. His skin was devoid of any color except for a slight tinge of blue, and his eyes were faded and glassy. Kyle left to go search for more blankets. Isaac reflexively drew his knees up to his chest. His mother pulled the covers off the bed and wrapped them around him, except for the left arm that he was noticeably favoring. She inspected it gently.

"Isaac, honey—this is going to hurt but then it'll feel better, OK?" He didn't react until she gave his arm a sharp pull, at which point tears of pain started streaming out of his eyes. For once, Dora was glad he was mute since it meant he couldn't scream. "It's all right, it's all right," she soothed. Her hands glowed with a warm golden light, healing his arm and quelling most of the pain.

Isaac wasn't aware of much else after that, only that he was so cold and weak that it was getting hard to breathe. He wanted to sleep but the chills wouldn't let him. His father returned to the room and his mother wrapped him in more blankets and gathered him into her arms.

"I think he'll be all right once we get him warmed up," Dora said softly.

"This is all my fault," said Kyle as he sat on the bed next to her. "If I hadn't said those things, he never would've taken off and fallen down that well. And then he _would_ be OK…"

"Don't blame yourself for this, Kyle. It won't do any good."

"But I…"

"Don't," she repeated with a quiet firmness. "You're a good man and a good father to him—it's just that sometimes bad things happen. Isaac loves you, and I'm sure he knows you didn't mean what you said." She shifted her position a little. "Come here. Your body heat will help."

Kyle nodded and embraced his wife, keeping their son between the two of them. It was then that Isaac finally felt warmth begin to seep back into his body, which staved off the chills enough to allow sleep to envelop him.

----------------------------------------------

Poor little Isaac…

As always, the next chapter is on the way. And yes, I know that in the game Kyle and Dora had separate beds, but I don't think any of us are _that_ naïve, are we?


	6. Taking Flight

Once again, the evil cesspool of knowledge (college) made this update come slowly. Sorry for the delay, but better late than never, right?

Also, Vilya made an excellent point about thinking it unlikely that the Valeans would be this heartless. I have only one thing to say in response to that; humans, as a general rule, irrationally fear what they cannot understand. That irrational fear can in turn lead to irrational behavior, and we have glowing examples of this in our own history. Events like the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare/McCarthyism are quite similar to what's going on in Vale in this story. So while I too would like to think the Valeans are more reasonable than this, I don't believe their behavior is that off course.

***Taking Flight***

Isaac opened his eyes to a room lit by a single candle burning low in its holder. He recognized it as his parents' bedroom on the main floor of his house. The door was only slightly cracked, but he could hear faint noises beyond it. Part of him wanted to get up to see, but the rest of him just wanted to stay put and sleep some more. He still felt chills running through his body, albeit not nearly as badly as earlier, and he was still quite tired, though at least his arm didn't hurt anymore. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep; only that it hadn't felt like long enough. At least now he was safe and warm, unlike when he'd been at the bottom of the well.

He had almost dozed off again when he heard the door creak open, prompting him to move slightly to see who was there. The moment he did, his mother was at his side and had swept him into her arms, hugging him tighter than he could ever remember.

"Oh, Isaac, thank Venus you're awake!" she said, kissing the top of his head. "You had us so worried!" She was so relieved that she had to struggle to refrain from crying. Isaac settled against her contentedly, having missed her greatly during his stay in the well, and also because her body heat helped stave off the chills. Dora pulled one of the blankets tighter around him. "My poor little boy--spending a cold night all alone in a well! I'm so sorry, Isaac!"

Isaac couldn't believe how frazzled she looked, totally unlike how he usually saw her. Her hair was a mess, half of it still up in a bun and the rest of it falling in limp bunches down her back. She was also wearing the same dress she'd had on yesterday, indicating that she'd been up all night. She must've been really worried. He smiled at her, happy to be home and happier still that she had apparently missed him at least as much as he'd missed her. Dora kissed him again, one of her stray tears dropping into his hair.

"Oh, Isaac. Please don't ever scare me like that again. I could never forgive myself if I lost you!"

The door of the house opened and shut just then, and more familiar footsteps vibrated on the wooden floor. "Dora?" came Kyle's voice. "I'm back."

"In here," she called. "He's awake."

A moment later, Isaac saw his father, his hero, standing in the bedroom doorway. Kyle exhaled a sigh of total relief, a huge weight visibly falling off of his shoulders. Isaac looked considerably better--much of his color had returned and his eyes were bright and alert. Kyle somewhat cautiously sat down on the bed, unsure of what he wanted to say. This whole incident never would've happened in the first place if not for the things he'd said. How does one go about apologizing for something like that?

"I'm so sorry for everything, Isaac," he began. "This was all my fault! I--" He was cut short by his son's hand over his mouth. Isaac had never had much need for words, and he just beamed broadly and hugged Kyle. He knew that his father wouldn't have gone to the trouble of getting him out of that well if he hadn't cared. As far as he was concerned, that made up for every infraction./P 

"I think you're forgiven," Dora said with a small smile of her own.

"There needs to be more like you on this earth, Isaac," said Kyle half in jest and half in earnest as he returned his son's embrace. "Thank you."

Dora's smile widened and then she stood up. "Well, now that you're back with the things from the market, I can make dinner. I know that at least one of us could do with a hot meal."

Dinner? Isaac stole a glance out the window and saw that it was indeed that late after all. He'd slept the entire day! And at that moment, the memory of what he'd seen in the woods last night came rushing back to him. The thieves and their awful plan--he had to tell them! He sprung from the bed but immediately fell over, his legs unwilling to hold his weight just yet.

"Woah, slow down there, son," Kyle said. "You're still not strong enough to be up and around." He bent down to pick him up, but Isaac vehemently shook his head, pulled himself to his feet, and started wobbling out to the living room. He had to get to the writing desk--it was the only way…

Kyle caught him and lifted him up. "Come on, Isaac. You'll catch another chill."

Frustrated, Isaac squirmed as roughly as he could manage in his weakened state. He _had_ to warn them. Those thieves might hurt people, including his mother, father, and his friends. Kyle had never seen his son so animated before, and it confused him enough to set him down.

"What is it, Isaac?" he asked.

Isaac went the rest of the way to the desk and rummaged for paper and a piece of charcoal. Both of his parents watched him curiously as he began to scribble. Being so young, he wasn't much of an artist, but he couldn't think of any other way to explain what he'd seen. First, he drew a set of little houses clustered together and then pointed to it.

"Is that the village?" his mother questioned. He nodded and started drawing stick people on the other side of the page. He took care to make them look mean, giving them big teeth and crude-looking swords in their hands.

"Who are they?" Kyle asked. "The villagers?" Isaac shook his head. He added some scraggly trees next to the stick figures to indicate the woods. "These people are in the woods?" his father continued. "You saw them last night?" Isaac nodded.

"People in the woods?" Dora was puzzled. "What would anyone be doing there?"

Kyle studied the doodle. "These obviously weren't friendly people." Isaac drew an arrow from the stick figures to the village and pointed at the weapons he'd drawn. "My bet is that they mean some sort of harm to Vale, like robbery. Am I right?"

Isaac nodded vigorously. Thank goodness his father had understood!

"Oh no!" his mother exclaimed. "What are we going to do? They could be here at any moment!"

Isaac drew a crescent moon above the rest of his picture. "Moon…" his father trailed. "High moon?" Another nod. "Tonight?" Isaac desperately nodded again. Kyle thought a few moments to take it all in, then he turned for the door.

"Kyle, where are you going?"

"We have to prepare for this. I'm going to warn the Mayor while there's still time. Go ahead and start dinner without me--I shouldn't be long." He smiled at his son. "Thank you, Isaac. You did very well." And he exited the house.

Isaac smiled a bit, happy to have helped but scared of what might happen tonight when the thieves came. He started to shiver again, partly from the nervousness and also from being exposed to the draft. His mother saw this and picked him up, carrying him back to the bedroom.

"You won't get better if you stay out here," she said. She set him back on the bed and wrapped him in the blankets again, kissing his forehead. "Don't worry, Isaac. Your father will warn the Mayor about those people and everything will be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen."

************

Garet had not had the best of days. First, he'd been scolded for sleeping late, which he'd naturally been inclined to do after his all night search. Then he, Jenna and Felix had been forbidden to play in their spot for fear that the "demon" would find them. And now he'd accidentally crushed some of his mother's beloved flowers. If she found out, he'd really be in hot water. So he was in the process of burying the evidence when he saw Kyle coming up the path. He immediately finished filling in the hole and went to greet him.

"How's Isaac? Is he OK?"

"He'll be fine, Garet, thanks to your help. Is your grandfather home by chance? I need to speak to him."

"Inside," Garet replied. "Um, I know that he and my Mom and Dad don't like the idea, but do you think I could still come by and see him sometime? I'll keep it a secret!"

Kyle smiled. "I'm sure he'd like that." He went and knocked on the door.

"Back again, Kyle?" George asked. "I'm still not going to help you find that little beast."

"He's already _been_ found," Kyle said as politely as he could manage. "I'm here on another matter."

"I see." George motioned him inside and Garet slipped in behind them. "What is it this time?"

"I have reason to believe that there are thieves lurking in the woods around Vale, and that they intend to strike tonight."

"Thieves in the woods?" the Mayor questioned. "How did you learn this?"

"What does it matter?" Kyle returned. "I think the mere prospect of such a thing is enough to warrant a full alert in the village. We can't just sit back and let them rob us--or worse."

George eyed him cautiously. "Does this new knowledge have anything to do with that boy's disappearance?"

"Let my son be my concern. It's obvious that none of you care about him unless he's done something you don't like."

"Really!" Garet exclaimed. "You're always so mean to Isaac!"

"Garet, don't interrupt," said his grandfather crossly. "What evidence do you have of this story?"

Kyle faltered. "Well…I didn't see them myself, but I…"

"The truth!" the Mayor pressed.

"Isaac saw these people in the woods last night when he was gone," Kyle said reluctantly. Now they'd never believe that this threat was real. "He told Dora and I through a drawing he made."

The Mayor paced for a few moments, the room so silent that everyone's breathing resonated like drums. "We will have to prepare for this. George, get out an alert to the villagers."

"Of course." He exited the house.

"Thank you, Mayor," said Kyle in relief.

"I am going to inform the elders of this matter," the Mayor said as he headed for the door. "And then we will put a stop to all of this madness. We have let this go on for far too long."

Kyle didn't like the menacing overtones in this statement. "What do you mean by that, Mayor?"

"It is obvious to me who has summoned these outsiders to Vale. I will not have this village put at risk any longer, especially by someone from the inside. I will see to it that our _real_ threat is disposed of permanently."

"You can't be serious!" Kyle exclaimed, grabbing the Mayor by the arm. "You can't honestly think that _Isaac_ is the one who brought those thieves here?!"

"Certainly," the Mayor replied. "We've never had any trouble from outsiders before, so what am I supposed to believe? No doubt that boy ran off yesterday to find these people and lead them straight to Vale."

"He can't even _talk_! How or why would he ever tell other people to attack his own village?"

"I do not care about his motives. All I know is that he is, and always will be, a threat to this village as long as he is alive." He headed for the door. "I am not completely without compassion. You may be allowed to say goodbye to your son, Kyle. We will come for him shortly."

"Grandpa, no!" Garet cried. "You can't hurt Isaac! You can't, you can't, you can't!"

"That's enough, Garet," the Mayor said firmly. "This is not your problem."

Kyle left the house in a bit of a daze, unable to believe what he'd heard. Was that really the voice of a lawmaker--the supposed voice of reason and rationality? It all seemed so completely ridiculous! How could they think that a little boy could convince a bunch of grown men to lay seige to their village? It was simply absurd! Why wouldn't they open their eyes? Why, why, _why_?!

He forced himself to shake it off and focus on the matter and hand. Reasoning with the people obviously wasn't going to work. That meant that there was only one option left. With his heart racing as he realized the course of action he had to take, he burst back into his house, startling Dora enough to drop one of her dishes.

"Kyle!" she exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Grab only what's needed and what can be carried," he said briskly as he rummaged for their few valuables. "We have to leave Vale _now_."

"_Leave Vale?!_" Dora was shocked by the very idea. "You know that it's forbidden to leave Vale! It's written in the laws!"

"To hell with their stupid laws! I am not going to let those superstitious fools lay one hand on our son!" He continued furiously stuffing various items into a pack. Dora watched him, visibly confused.

"What happened at the Mayor's house, Kyle? I've never seen you this upset."

"Dora, if you don't want to come with me, I'll understand. But I have to get Isaac out of here no matter what the cost."

This only confused her more. "Isaac shouldn't be out in the cold air so soon. He's still not well."

"I know, but there's no time," Kyle said quietly. He looked to his wife and she saw the complete terror in his eyes. "They think he summoned the thieves, Dora. They're coming to take him."

She was stunned. "My god…" It took a moment for the words to sink in, and then she too started packing.

Isaac was half-asleep when his mother was suddenly at his side, coaxing him to get up. She helped him get dressed and then bundled him up in the warmest quilt they had. He didn't protest, but he was puzzled and frightened by the way his parents were acting. He'd never seen them like this before.

"Ready?" Kyle asked.

"No," Dora replied honestly. "But let's go before they get here."

Kyle nodded in agreement and picked up his trembling son. "Don't worry, Isaac. Your mother and I aren't going to let anything happen to you." And together, the three of them left their house and fled into the night.

---------------------------------------------------

Hehe…now things are getting interesting, aren't they? What's going to happen now, I wonder? ^_^


	7. The Guardian Awakens

***The Guardian Awakens***

"Mayor, please stop and consider what you're about to do," the Great Healer urged.

"I know exactly what I'm about to do," the Mayor said. "There's simply no other way to ensure Vale's safety."

"What evidence do you have to back up your claims? You cannot carry out such a drastic measure without being certain. To do otherwise would be to turn your back on everything you stand for."

"Are you saying that I'm wrong about that devil?" the Mayor inquired.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't let your own biases cloud your better judgment," the Healer replied. "You cannot forget that Isaac is still a little boy. Are you truly prepared to tear a frightened child away from his parents and then execute him without due process? To inflict that kind of heartache onto Kyle and Dora? That's not something you can reverse, Mayor. And if you're proven wrong…"

"I am _not_ wrong," said the Mayor firmly. "If you do not wish to participate in this matter, go back to the sanctum. I can handle it myself."

The Great Healer sighed to himself. While it was true that he had his doubts about Isaac, he didn't believe for a moment that this was right. To shun the boy was one thing; to kill him was something else entirely. But how was he to stop such an order from being carried out?

They arrived at the house in question, and three small figures were blocking the door. The trio glared up at the adults defiantly, determined to prevent them from entering the structure.

"Garet!" the Mayor said sharply. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I can't let you hurt Isaac, Grandpa," said Garet as resolutely as he could manage.

"He's our friend," Felix added. "And we don't want any of you grown-ups being mean to him anymore!"

"If you want him, you have to go through us first!" Jenna declared.

The Mayor visibly fumed. "We will discuss this later, Garet. I have a job to do, and there's nothing you can do to stop it." He easily pushed the small sentries aside and opened the door. But the house was unoccupied. Drawers and cupboards still hung open and items were scattered about in complete disarray.

"They fled…" the Great Healer trailed in disbelief.

"Well I'll be," said the Mayor, also stunned. "I never would've thought they would disregard the ancient laws of Vale."

"Then Isaac's gone forever?" Felix questioned.

"No!" Jenna cried. "He can't be gone! He just can't be!"

Garet whirled on his grandfather. "This is all _your_ fault! He was my best friend, Grandpa! How could you?"

The Mayor was about to speak when shouts of panic resounded from the plaza. Instantly, he, the Great Healer, and the three children ran off down the hill to see just what was going on.

************

Kyle tried to swallow all of his apprehension. He'd never left the gates of Vale during his entire life, and to do so was to violate the town's most sacred law. But to stay…no, staying had not been an option. He'd almost lost this child once and the thought of it being permanent was simply too heartbreaking to fathom.

"I can't believe this," Dora muttered. "I just can't believe this. We actually _left Vale_!"

"Would you rather have stayed?"

"Certainly not! I wasn't about to let you and Isaac go off by yourselves. But Kyle, we broke the law. We'll never be allowed to go back after this. Not ever."

"We'll be all right, Dora. The three of us are together and that's all that matters. We can make a new life somewhere, in a place where the people are actually _sensible_. We'll be fine as long as we stay together."

She nodded. "Right. A lost possession can be replaced; a lost life can't."

They stopped to rest by a cluster of rocks. The lights of Vale could still be seen in the distance, but no one would come for them. No one would dare. The outside world was wrought with dangers and the Valeans had long been told that fleeing the village meant certain death. Of the three people who'd dared to leave that safe haven, only one of them was unaware of these stories, yet Isaac was far from relaxed. He couldn't believe that they'd actually left the village, and he didn't have any clue as to why--only that it was a bad thing to do. He looked back at Vale after his father had set him down and thought about Jenna, Garet and Felix. Would they be safe when the thieves came? Would he ever see them again?

Dora pulled him into her lap to shield him from the growing chill in the air. This spring weather could still be tricky and unpredictable. She turned to her husband and whispered, "We can't stay out in the open for long. The chill in the air could kill him."

"I know, I know. Believe me, I know. I'll think of something…_somehow_." Kyle was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and he knew his wife was much the same way. Neither of them had slept a wink last night, having been too concerned about their son, and they were paying for that lack of proper rest now. They needed shelter, but there was no way of telling how far it was to the next town. If only there'd been more time to plan this excursion. He truly didn't know what to do, and the two most important lives he knew of were relying on his guidance. Isaac was staring at him, his eyes big and anxious too. Kyle met the gaze and felt a calm quell some of the fear resonating within him. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about his decision when he looked into those azure orbs--none at all. He tousled Isaac's hair. "Don't worry, Isaac. We'll be all right, I promise."

"It is beautiful out here," Dora said after a moment's pause. "You don't get the sense of how big and open it is from within the gates. What do you think is out there?"

"You mean aside from the wandering marauders?"

"Kyle! I hardly think this is a time for jokes!"

He chuckled under his breath. "I'm sure everything will fall into place. There's a future waiting out there for us; a new home in a new town with new laws and new people. And with any luck, not a single blasted superstition! We can live normal lives, and no one will ever harass Isaac again."

"Your enthusiasm is almost contagious. It _does_ sound wonderful when you put it that way. Don't you think so, Isaac? No more bullies bothering you, and I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends."

New friends? Isaac certainly liked the idea of never being pushed in the mud or being called "devil" or "demon" again. But he already had friends, and he didn't want new ones. There would never be anyone who could replace Garet, Jenna and Felix, the first people who'd ever liked him just as he was, voiceless or not. The thought of never seeing them again hurt as much now as it had yesterday when the grown-ups had dragged them from the clearing. This whole thing didn't feel right. Not at all.

"What's the matter, honey?" his mother asked, sensing something uneasy in him.

"He's probably just nervous about leaving town," said Kyle. "You're not the only one, son. But we'll be OK."

Isaac felt something coming. He wasn't sure what it was but it wasn't good. He wiggled free of his mother's grasp and paced a few steps back towards the village, studying it. What was this feeling he had? The moon in the sky was far from its peak position. Had the thieves come early? Something was really wrong.

"Let's get moving again," his father said. "Hopefully we can reach another town before this night's over."

"The sooner the better," Dora agreed. They rose and were ready to leave the spot when something appeared before them--a gray tabby cat with yellow eyes. Isaac was shocked but pleased to see it. The cat, however, stared at all of them strangely.

"Well if it isn't my trusty guide," Kyle said. "Must be it couldn't stand staying in Vale either." He bent down to touch it, but the cat hissed and took a swipe at his hand. It arched its back and emitted a low growl, scornful and mean.

"I thought you said it was a friendly cat."

"It is--or it _was_."

Isaac crouched to meet the yellow eyes full on. The cat seemed to be telling him something through its gaze. _How can you turn your back on them? Those people are too blind, weak, and stupid to protect themselves. You cannot abandon them, little one. You are all they have_.

Had that cat spoken to him? No, animals couldn't talk anymore than he could. But that was the same voice he'd heard last night in the woods. What if…?

_You were chosen for something great, little one. The people will never understand if you run away_.

Isaac nodded and scooped up the cat to give it a thankful hug. His parents puzzled at how docile the feline had suddenly become. After a moment, Isaac set it down and turned back for Vale until his father halted him.

"You can't go back there, Isaac," he said. "It's not safe for you there anymore."

Isaac shook his head. He didn't expect his parents to understand why he had to go back. He wasn't even sure if he understood it himself. But an unexpected cry of turmoil from the cluster of buildings down the road, followed by a plume of flame and smoke, made his case clear without any words. And with a resolve none of them knew they had, the three of them immediately headed back towards Vale.

************

Fearing that their unexpected visitor may have spoiled their plans, the group of brigands had decided to strike long before they'd originally intended. This meant that most of the townsfolk would be awake, but that didn't matter as long as the element of surprise was preserved. Using stealth, the thieves had set fire to the inn, the blacksmith's shop, and much of the marketplace, causing an uproar distracting enough to allow part of their group to go looking for the rumored treasure. The rest were about the plaza making sure that no one found out what was really going on.

Such was the scene that Kyle, Dora and Isaac returned to. The laws of Vale also declared that Psynergy was not to be used in the presence of outsiders, since it was a power that the ancients had sworn to protect and keep secret. Thus the Valeans were almost completely at the mercy of the thieves, having to use brute force against the pack of very strong men. Clearly a losing battle for the village. With machete in hand, Kyle went to aid those fighting the thieves. Dora left Isaac in one of the nooks in the cliffside where he'd be safe, and then went to help extinguish the fires. But Isaac had ideas of his own. Once his mother was out of sight, he unfurled himself from the quilt and left to find his friends.

The upper sections of town seemed abandoned since everyone was down in the plaza. But since Isaac hadn't seen Garet, Jenna or Felix in the chaos back there, he figured that they had to be somewhere up here. He pressed forward as fast as he could, wishing there were some way he could alert them of his presence. Once he'd reached his house, however, he saw a few figures just around the corner. It was Garet and the others all right, along with their mothers and Garet's younger sister. They were crouched in the shadow of the building, obviously hoping that no one would spot them there.

"I wish we knew what was going on down there," Helen said nervously as she kept a tight grip on Jenna and Felix. "It looks bad."

"What's going to happen to Vale?" Felix asked.

"Everything will be fine," his mother said unconvincingly. "Perfectly fine."

Isaac approached them somewhat cautiously, and the moment his friends saw him they jumped up to greet him.

"You came back!" Garet cried.

"We missed you Isaac!" Jenna said.

"Don't ever leave us again, OK?" Felix added.

Helen and Ida leapt to their feet when they realized who was there. They in turn snatched their children away and started moving in search of a new hiding place.

"Bad enough we have these outsiders to worry about, but now the devil's returned as well!" Ida huffed.

"Mom, let go of me!" Garet protested.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" Helen inquired of Isaac. "It's your fault these men came here, and look at what they've done to the village!"

Isaac shook his head. Why did she think he would bring these bad men here? This was his home too, and he didn't want anything to happen to it either. He followed the group as they moved further up the hill, even though both Ida and Helen kept trying to fend him off with kicked stones. Jenna, Garet and Felix protested the whole while, begging their mothers to leave him alone.

That was when it happened. The leader of the bandits had been heading up hill on his own in the hope of finding his precious treasure. But he didn't see the small group of people crossing his path, and he consequently ran into them. For a moment, everything was a pile of confusion, then the bandit got to his feet and stood over the women and children with his sword at the ready.

"Where is the treasure?" he demanded. "Take me to it right now!"

"Treasure?" Ida asked. "What treasure?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I know there's a treasure hidden in this rat hole. Now where is it?"

"Vale has never had any sort of treasure," said Helen. "That's the truth!"

The thief was visibly irritated. "Won't talk, huh? I have ways of making you people cooperate." In a flash, he reached down and grabbed Jenna, bringing the edge of his sword to her neck. She cried out in panic, as did the others. "Tell me where the treasure is or this brat gets it!"

"Please let her go!" Helen begged. "She's just a child!"

"The treasure!"

"There _is_ no treasure!" Ida said pleadingly. "If there was one, we'd give it to you if it meant you'd leave us alone!"

He wasn't satisfied in the least, and turned back down the hill with Jenna still in tow, hoping that he might be able to extract what he wanted from another source.

"Mommy!" Jenna shouted in complete terror.

"Shut up you little brat!" the bandit growled.

"Jenna!" The others called in equal panic. They all started following the heartless man, but Isaac chose to take a different, faster route. He reached the plaza at precisely the same moment as the man. The bandit stood before the giant Psynergy stone and started shouting out his demands to the crowd of people, all the while keeping his sword pointed at Jenna's neck. Isaac met her eyes for a spit second and saw her tears of fear. His heart thumped against his ribcage as he slowly crept around to the backside of the Psynergy stone. Something seemed to be calling him to it.

The plaza was far from calm even with the leader of the thieves demanding everyone's full attention with his proclamation. Simon was naturally only a few feet away trying to coax the man into letting his daughter go. Some of the other thieves were still tussling with the other villagers. Isaac slowly climbed up the Psynergy stone, a difficult task due to the its smooth, shiny surface. When he reached the top, he was able to look right down at the leader and Jenna. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that frightened him even more--his father dueling with one of the other brigands! Kyle had obviously taken a few hits, and his small machete was no match for the huge sword his opponent had. The thief lifted his weapon high above his head, the blade gleaming amid the light of the fires.

Something snapped. From his place kneeling atop the Psynergy stone, Isaac clasped his hands together and felt a rush of raw energy surging throughout his body. An instinct he wasn't sure he understood seized control of his mind. He closed his eyes and held nothing back, letting whatever kind of power this was overtake him completely. This would save his father, Jenna, and the entire village. It just _had_ to!

Every citizen of Vale, along with the gang of thieves, was nearly blinded by the bright golden light suddenly radiating from the Psynergy stone, though all their eyes instinctively traveled up to its apex to glimpse the source of the phenomenon. And all of them were awestruck when they saw the tiny figure that was shining brighter than the sun itself.

---------------------------------------------------------

You knew I had to leave you with at least one more evil cliffhanger, right? ^_^ The end is near…or is it the beginning?


	8. Speechless

I was feeling merciful so I decided to post the last two chapters together. Aren't I nice? Read on and enjoy.

***Speechless***

Time seemed to have stopped. Not a single person, not even any of the thieves, moved the slightest inch. They were too riveted at what they saw atop the Psynergy stone, the small figure emanating a warm, comforting light. This was nothing any demon would be capable of, but far from the power any normal Adept would have either. What was it then? And what did it mean?

The leader of the bandits was the only one who seemed unfazed by the spectacle, keeping a tight grip on his trembling hostage. He made a move to climb the stone and dispatch the thing that had diverted attention away from his demands, but the golden light threw him a fair distance. Jenna was freed and she ran to her father for safety then looked back at Isaac, waiting for something to happen.

"Come on, boys!" the leader barked. "Let's take 'em now while they're all distracted!"

Some of his cohorts nodded in agreement and brought their swords back up. And then the golden light grew even brighter and the earth began to shake. Golden, feathered wings of light sprung from Isaac's back and the ground started to split open in several places. More golden light shot up from these cracks, which started to grow bigger and bigger, the ground shaking the whole while. The villagers scattered in panic, some of them fearing that this would be the end of them all. Only Kyle and Dora stayed frozen where they stood, gazing up at their son in a combination of wonder, pride, and fear.

As the thieves tried to advance amid the tremors, the light from the ground started surrounding each of them. Once one was trapped inside, he was sucked down into the cracks. Their howls could be heard clearly even over the quake, but the cries soon faded as each bandit seemed to fall all the way down to the core of the earth itself. When the very last brigand had been swallowed, the tremors gradually stopped and all the cracks healed up as if they'd never been there. The golden light spread out, enveloping the entire plaza, and extinguished each fire. Everyone then watched in stunned disbelief as the light slowly receded back to its source. For a few moments, their eyes were transfixed on the child with the angel's wings. But then the wings and the rest of the golden light vanished and Isaac slowly fell into the grass.

"Isaac!" his mother cried. Both of his parents rushed to his side, Dora pulling him into her lap. Isaac didn't stir, but his father cracked a small smile as he looked his son over.

"He's all right," he said quietly. "I think the poor guy's just worn out."

The villagers gradually gathered around the three of them. No one was sure of what had just happened, but one thing was certain--this boy was no demon.

"He saved us all," Simon whispered. "He saved Jenna and the _entire village_."

Slow nods of agreement passed around the citizens, but everyone was too stunned to speak for several more moments. It was Garet who finally broke the silence.

"See?" he inquired, puffing his chest. "We told you he wasn't a demon!"

"_Now_ do you believe us?" Felix added.

The Great Healer regarded Isaac carefully, trying to find his voice. "What we have witnessed here tonight was nothing short of a miracle. Power such as that is unheard of in any adult, let alone a child."

"But what exactly _was_ it?" Ida asked.

"I do not know," the Great Healer replied. "I only know that whatever it was, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all my years of life. And that this child is a genuine hero."

Garet, Jenna, and Felix let loose squeals of delight. Their friend was a hero, and the three of them had been smarter than the adults had been! Their exuberant cries reflected what most of the other Valeans were feeling but were currently unable to express. Kyle and Dora, exhausted and proud, smiled down at the sleeping Isaac and made their way back home. The rest of the villagers watched them head up the hill, thinking and reflecting on all they'd seen this night.

************

By the following evening, things appeared more or less normal around the little house on the hill. Kyle was re-thatching part of the roof, which he'd intended to do earlier in the week, Dora was taking down laundry that had dried in the warm spring breeze, and Isaac was stalking frogs in the grass. He'd woken up that morning apparently as good as new in every respect and his parents marveled at his quick recovery, not to mention the very fresh memory of last night. They'd always believed he was a special child, but that word didn't come anywhere near to describing him now.

Isaac pounced in an effort to catch a croaking frog, but missed and skidded into the grass. He stood up and dusted himself off, the expression on his face one of annoyance.

"Too fast for you, huh?" Kyle asked from his spot on the roof. Isaac nodded, curling his lip slightly and crossing his arms in frustration. Then he sort of shrugged and went in search of a new creature to chase.

"Just please don't bring any of those slimy things into the house," Dora said. "The last thing I need is a bunch of reptiles hopping around my kitchen."

Isaac grinned at the thought of a bunch of frogs leaping in and out of his mother's pots and pans. Part of him almost wanted to see such a sight for himself, but he wasn't sure if he could catch the number of frogs needed, nor was he dumb enough to make his mother that angry. Still, it might be a funny thing to try on someone else someday.

A crowd of people was descending upon the house, and it looked like it was every person in the entire town. Garet, Jenna, and Felix ran up to Isaac and tackled him for a friendly greeting and the four of them rolled around in the grass. Isaac ended up sitting on top of Garet, much to his friend's dismay. The cluster of adults, the Mayor of Vale at the forefront, laughed at the antics of the small citizens.

"You're hopeless, Garet," Jenna teased.

"Hopeless and very clumsy," her brother added.

"Get off of me!" Garet scowled. Isaac did and helped his friend up. He looked somewhat cautiously at the Mayor and everyone else, wondering why they weren't saying anything or kicking stones at him. And they were all smiling! This wasn't something he was accustomed to.

"What's this all about?" Kyle asked as he climbed down the ladder. Dora went to join him and they both stood very close to their son just in case.

"Grandpa has something to say," said Garet. "Don't you?"

"Indeed I do," the Mayor said. "What I have to say is on behalf of everyone in Vale." He got down on one knee so he could be eye to eye with Isaac. "Thank you, Isaac. Your actions last night saved this entire town from those men. I don't how you did what you did, but I cannot tell you how grateful I am for what you've done for all of us. You're a true hero."

Isaac was astounded as the Mayor handed him a small but gleaming badge of honor. It wasn't much, just a round piece of bronze etched with words he couldn't read, but to Isaac, it meant more than anything he'd ever received from anyone. It was a good acknowledgment from the people who'd always hated him! The Mayor also wasn't referring to him as "that boy" or "the demon" but by his real name! Only his parents and friends did that. Did this mean the others didn't hate him anymore?

"Also," the Mayor continued. "We offer to you our apologies. We were wrong about you Isaac. You're not a demon--you're our savior! And we're sorry for every awful thing we ever did or said to you." He lowered his voice. "Perhaps I owe you the biggest apology of all, Isaac. I am truly ashamed of how I've treated you these past years. I was wrong, and I hope that somehow, someday, you can forgive me for my own ignorance."

Silence held for a brief moment, and then a wide, unimaginably happy grin crept across Isaac's face. He nodded vigorously and shook the Mayor's hand. After all this time, all this waiting and wondering, the people finally liked him! He couldn't even sort out how happy he was.

Kyle crossed him arms and smiled. "I'm glad to see you all came to your senses."

"It took us much longer than it should have," the Mayor admitted as he straightened himself. "And I apologize to you and Dora as well for the way I acted. I only hope that you won't be leaving us anytime soon."

"Not in this lifetime," Kyle laughed. "Thank you, Mayor."

"No, thank you and your son."

"You hear that Isaac?" Felix asked. "You're a hero!"

"And no one's going to stop us from playing together anymore," Jenna said.

"So we'll meet you in our spot tomorrow, OK?" said Garet. "Unless you're scared."

Isaac hit Garet in the shoulder, smiling, and then waved goodbye as they all returned to their residences for dinner. Tomorrow was already full of promise. He couldn't wait.

"Well, it's nice to see that they finally came around," Dora said. "I only wish it had happened sooner."

"Better late than never, I suppose," Kyle sighed with a helpless grin. "But at least it finally happened."

"Right. That's all that matters."

"Although I'm still puzzled about one thing."

"What's that?"

"That power Isaac demonstrated last night." He looked down at his son. "You, mister, never cease to surprise me. Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something totally unpredictable. Sometimes I have to wonder, what exactly _are_ you, Isaac?"

Isaac met his father's gaze, grinning wildly the way only a five-year-old could.

"I am me."

Kyle and Dora both stumbled backwards, completely caught off guard. Had they heard what they just thought they heard? It took several moments for either one of them to recover enough to speak.

"Isaac…" Dora whispered. "You…you can _talk_!"

"Uh huh," he said very plainly, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. His mother slipped to her knees and hugged him, trying hard not to cry.

"I don't believe it!" she said. "You can actually _talk_!"

"How is this possible?" Kyle asked in disbelief. "When did this happen?"

"Just now," Isaac replied.

"It's a miracle!" Dora declared. "A real heaven-sent miracle!"

Kyle bent down and studied his son, still unable to believe that his ears weren't tricking him somehow. "You _are_ just full of surprises, aren't you? But I don't understand. After all of this time, why _now_?"

Isaac looked at both of his parents, and his blue eyes suddenly seemed older than they had before. He smiled just a tiny bit, his sagely expression making him seem far wiser than the most ancient of men. 

"Because they finally listened."

-----------------------------------------------------------

I was originally going to end things here, but I realized there were some loose ends that needed tying up. I think the last chapter will clear up any questions you might have. If it doesn't, I'm a miserable failure as a writer and I should never set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) ever again! ^^; Read on, my friends…


	9. The Decree

***The Decree***

That seems like a part of some other life now. It was all the time _before_ the villagers accepted me, the time _before_ I was normal, as if it's a series of events far removed from who I am. Strange how the passage of time does that to you. 

It took time for everyone to totally accept me, and some of them were never all that comfortable in my presence. But I was a citizen, a Valean, one of them. That's all I'd wanted--for them to recognize my right to exist. Nobody questioned that after that night. I was their hero, their miracle; the thing they couldn't quite explain but knew wasn't a demon.

In a way, it was almost easier being mute. When people know you can't speak, they don't expect you to say anything, or maybe even feel anything. It was a long time before I let others know that I had a voice. My parents didn't mention it to anyone until they knew I was ready. How long was it? A month? A year? I forget. It wasn't a question of embarrassment or shame--more like a fear of losing my identity. All of my life I had been the mute boy, and suddenly I wasn't anymore. That one difference changed everything about myself and my life. I wasn't different anymore; I was like everyone else. And when I chose to be silent most of the time, everyone thought it was strange. _How come he's not a chatterbox like his friend Garet?_ they asked._ You'd think that after five years of forced silence all he'd ever want to do is talk!_

Nothing could be further from the truth. I think some people forgot that I even had a voice at times. It got easier to speak as I got older, but I never did become much of a talker. I don't think I ever will. Garet once asked me why that was, and all I could say was that it's the way I am. Think about it. I started my life unable to express myself the way normal people usually do, so I had to keep everything inside of me. That's not a behavior one can just shove off overnight. And still, no one seemed to get it. They accepted it, but they didn't really understand it.

I take that back. My mother understands it; at least I'm pretty sure she does. And my father…he probably understood it best. Maybe that's why I miss him so much. Dad always told me that actions spoke much louder than words, and that words only have meaning when one backs them up with actions. And I know he believed that himself. The truest revelation of his feelings for me happened through action. He had a life that he was more than contented with, and yet he was willing to give all of it up for me. For _me_.

The memory of that night and the "miracle" I performed is sketchy to me. I don't know how I channeled that much Psynergy at such a young age. I don't know why it didn't kill me when it probably should have. Sometimes, when I was supposed to be asleep in bed, I'd sit at the top of the stairs and overhear Mom and Dad talking about it. They didn't know either. They speculated that it meant I was destined to be some sort of "Super Adept" that would save the whole world. The irony! Mom also once considered that that power hadn't been Psynergy at all--that perhaps it was a different kind of power altogether. Dad asked her what she meant by this, and all she could say was that maybe I was a real angel. He didn't respond to that, probably unwilling to admit that he'd thought the same thing himself at some point. And little me, sitting at the top of the stairs, had almost blown my cover by laughing out loud.

Ridiculous idea, isn't it? If I really were some sort of angel, I would certainly be the first to know about it.

__

Wouldn't I?

I never saw the cat again after that night, nor did I ever figure out what it really was. I like to think that it did speak to me, but that's impossible. For one, cats don't talk. And I'm definitely not a mind reader. Still, maybe that cat was some sort of messenger sent to help me sort out what I was going through. I guess I'll never know for certain. Maybe it was the one who gave me that power. That mysterious, miraculous power that no one can quite figure out.

Well, whatever that power was, I've yet to tap into it again. I've come close in a few of the major battles I've fought during my journey, but it was nothing like what I did that night. Maybe it was just a fluke, or maybe I lost the ability to do whatever that was once I got my voice. I don't know. That power would've come in handy several times, but I guess I don't have access to it anymore. But that's OK, because I don't particularly want it.

Ah, I'm just fooling myself. There was at least one time when I wanted that power more than anything--the night of the storm. Yet that one time I needed such strength, it chose to forsake me and I could only stand there, paralyzed in terror, as the boulder fell. Fate can be so cruel.

I know that some of the villagers silently wondered why I didn't stop it from happening. I could see the resentment in their eyes, feel it in their hearts. No one ever said it aloud, but I knew they were asking me that question: _Why didn't you stop it?_ I suppose they kept quiet about it because of what happened to Dad. If he hadn't died that night, perhaps they would've blamed me for the whole thing and the cycle of superstitious fear would've begun anew. Once again, my father protected me from their misguided paranoia.

Whatever the future holds, whatever happens on this weird and wild journey, I'm certain of one thing. I will do everything within my power to protect the ones I love as well as the innocent lives around me. If any divine grace has been bestowed upon me, I will use it to work towards a brighter future for all of the good souls on this earth. That is my promise.

_My decree_.

*~_The End_~*

I hope you people enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was more or less an experiment to see if I could write something devoid of romance, so I'm thrilled and flattered that it went over so well. Every word of encouragement (and criticism) I receive only motivates me to try even harder to spin a good story. So thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for taking the time to read this and comment on it! Your responses are the fuel that keeps my inspiration flowing.

See ya soon! ^_^


End file.
